How Today’s Trade Disruptions are Paving the Way for Tomorrow’s Solutions

By Pedram Tadayon, CEO of Mitigram
Date: 09/07/2025

Global trade is at a pivotal moment. A crossroads where uncertainty, driven by tariffs and shifting economic relationships, is creating both challenges and opportunities. Historically, disruptions in trade have always paved the way for innovation.

Today, companies are exploring new markets and partners, largely on the back of strained US-China trade relations. The rise in tariffs has prompted businesses, especially Chinese importers and exporters, to seek new trade routes and partners in regions like Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Europe.

In a recent Mitigram webinar, Steven Zhou, Executive Director at TradeGo noted that this isn’t a temporary reaction but part of a broader restructuring of global trade networks. From Brazil’s soybeans to Vietnam’s manufacturing hubs, new relationships are forming.

The Return of Traditional Instruments – With a Digital Twist

This has resulted in the resurgence of traditional trade instruments like letters of credit (LCs) and bills of lading, particularly as businesses navigate unfamiliar territory.

Zhou highlighted how electronic bills of lading (eBLs) allow Chinese importers to control goods while ensuring timely document circulation, unlike traditional paper-based processes, which are slow and costly. For instance, in bonded warehouse scenarios, where goods are already in China, but documentation originates in Europe, digital solutions eliminate the delays and costs of couriers, saving on storage fees and improving cash flow.

And these instruments no longer need to be cumbersome paper-based processes. Thanks to digital platforms like Mitigram, businesses can now use eBLs and other digital documents to streamline transactions, reduce costs, and enhance trust.

Building Bridges Through Interoperability

A key takeaway from the webinar is the power of interoperability – critical for scaling digital trade. As Gunnar Collin, Director at Enigio explained, their electronic documents replicate the functionality of paper while adhering to emerging standards like the Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records (MLETR). This legal framework, increasingly adopted globally, ensures that electronic documents are recognized as legally valid, fostering trust in digital transactions.

Collaboration is also critical in digitizing the entire trading ecosystem, as no single platform can achieve this on its own. By working together, Mitigram and its partners are creating seamless digital bridges.

Practical Steps to Go Digital

For exporters looking to embrace digital trade, the process is simpler than you might think. Here are three practical steps that were discussed during the webinar:

Work with Service Providers: Ensure your carrier, freight forwarder, or bank supports digital solutions. For example, ask your carrier to issue an eBL instead of a paper document or PDF.

Engage Your Counterparties: Agree with your trading partner to use digital documents like eBLs, just as you would decide on payment methods like LCs or telegraphic transfers.

Leverage Platforms Like Mitigram: These tools allow you to create, sign, and transfer digital documents seamlessly. Mitigram’s integration with partners across the ecosystem, for instance, enables exporters to create digital originals and send them directly to banks in a different country.

From Paperless to Seamless

With regulators, banks and technology providers aligning to create a future path for digital trade, we remain optimistic about the future.

As global trade navigates these challenges, the message is clear: opportunity often emerges from uncertainty. By embracing digital solutions like those offered by Mitigram, businesses can build new trade routes with confidence, efficiency, and security. Whether you’re an exporter in Europe or an importer in China, now is the time to explore digital trade instruments and connect with platforms that make it happen.